Apple Store storage prices surge as AI data centers devour memory chips, SanDisk SSDs hit 200% hike

Apple Store Prices for SanDisk SSDs Are Suddenly Astronomical

Ah, SanDisk external SSDs with those big keychain loops. If you’re an average consumer, they’re awesome and convenient. If you’re a seasoned professional or data hoarder, they’re too unreliable, I’m told. At any rate, they look cool and they’re historically a relatively cheap place to stash some terabytes. But not anymoreâ€"at least not if you buy yours from Apple (and I’ll give you one guess as to why). Thanks to the hardware-devouring needs of AI data centers, Apple already hiked the prices of MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models by a hundred dollars each last week. But as Bloomberg’s Apple scoops guy Mark Gurman points out, Apple storesâ€"both online and brick-and-mortarâ€"have also sent the prices on external drives into the stratosphere. “For instance,†Gurman writes, “a SanDisk 4-terabyte solid-state external drive that once cost roughly $500 is now $1,200, while a 1-terabyte version has gone from $120 to $360.†That second one is a 200% price hike. I haven’t seen a price increase so punishing since, uh, well, earlier today, when I put gas in my tank in Los Angeles. Gurman is quick to point out that it’s not just SanDisk products that are seeing price spikes, and that vendors set prices, not Apple. It’s worth noting, however, that The Apple Store legal page says, “Apple reserves the right to change prices for products at the Apple Store at any time, and to correct inadvertent pricing errors.â€Â So it doesn’t sound like SanDisk has a gun to Apple’s head. Demand for storage and RAM is a simmering crisis threatening to boil over. As my colleague, Kyle Barr, wrote last week: The blame for the memory shortage falls at the feet of the AI boom. The largest AI datacenter projects, like OpenAI’s multi-state Stargate project, have such a massive demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM). Semiconductor companies are making such a profit from these high-end memory chips that they have reduced capacity for consumer-level DRAM and SSD storage. Even major companies like Valve are struggling to source affordable RAM for its Steam Machine. One of the company’s staff reportedly joked to industry insiders at GDC 2026, “If you have a line on a bunch of RAM, we are in the market and would like to buy it.†And storage is starting to be affected across the board, not just SSDs. Hard drives are clearly cheaper than SSDs for the time being, but as this situation continues to worsen price hikes are bleeding into the hard drive market too. And in January, the prices of hard drives were 46% higher than they were in September of last year.

Apple Store External Storage Prices Spike Amid AI-Driven Shortage

Apple last week hiked the prices of external hard drives sold through its online store and retail locations, as noted by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said that Apple updated the pricing on several external drive offerings recently, and the increases are steep. For example, a SanDisk 4TB solid-state external drive that previously sold for around $500 now costs $1,200, while a 1TB model has jumped from $120 to $360. The price hikes are said to be indirectly caused by the AI-fueled demand for memory and storage chips, which is continuing to squeeze the consumer market. Gurman noted that it is vendors who set the pricing on third-party accessories, rather than Apple. However, the impact on buyers is the same regardless. It's not just a pricing issue either. External drives on Apple's online store are largely sold out, with most models showing no availability for delivery or in-store pickup. Shoppers at physical Apple Store locations may still find stock, but at the same inflated prices. Similar shortages and hikes can be found at Best Buy, Amazon, and other retailers. The shortage stems from the same supply crunch that forced Apple to raise MacBook Air and MacBook Pro prices by $100 earlier this month. Its removal of the Mac Studio's top 512GB RAM memory upgrade was also likely related. As things stand, AI data center build-outs are consuming enormous quantities of NAND flash and memory chips, and manufacturers are prioritizing those lucrative enterprise contracts over consumer products. As Gurman notes, the situation is likely to get worse throughout 2026 - and possible beyond.